Scented candles release an aroma into the ambient atmosphere when burned, and are increasing in popularity. Such candles are often used for enhancing the ambience or mood in the home or workplace. Despite their popularity, there are some perceived problems associated with the burning of scented candles. The presence of an open flame can present hazards to children and pets, and burning candles present a fire hazard and should not be left unattended. Also, the smoke produced by burning candles can present a health or a nuisance hazard, and can complicate respiratory problems for particular individuals. Furthermore, smoke from the burning candle can damage or discolor furniture, walls and fabrics. Thus, it will be seen that while the effects of scented candles are desirable, there are problems associated with the open flame attendant upon their use.
Consequently, the prior art has sought to implement solutions whereby a candle's scent may be released without the requirement of utilizing an open flame. Toward that end, the prior art has investigated various designs of candle warming devices which allow scented candles to flamelessly disperse their aroma. The previous implementation of such a candle heater comprised the use of miniature hotplates, of the type employed for heating individual beverage cups; and in such instance, the candle, which is typically contained in a glass vessel, is placed onto the hotplate. In some instances, these hotplate-type candle warmers have a collar which surrounds a portion of the length of the candle; but they are not designed to enclose the entire length of the candle. This approach is less than satisfactory since only the bottom portion of the candle is heated. As a consequence, it takes a relatively long time to melt the upper surface of the candle wax so as to release the scent. This lag time can be shortened if the heat level of the hotplate is raised to a fairly high value; however, these high heat levels can pose a burn hazard once the candle is fully warm. Also, high heat levels can start to vaporize the candle wax thereby generating unwanted odors and damaging fumes. In addition, the heated wax fumes can present a significant fire hazard. Hotplate-type candle warmers are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,627,857. Another prior art approach to warming scented candles involves the use of a radiant heater which projects infrared light onto an upper surface of the candle. Devices of this type are relatively complicated and energy inefficient. Radiant candle heaters are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,710.
As will be explained hereinbelow, the present invention is directed to a flameless candle heating device which efficiently and safely retains scented candles and the like and warms them to a uniform temperature optimized for safety and release of scent. These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the drawings, discussion and description which follow.